Ladron
Ladron History of the Kingdom Ladron was originally known as Amor. Amor had been the second wealthiest kingdom when compared to Corona. After a war with the kingdom, Amor was left in ruins. A knight who was recently promoted to the status of leading the knights himself took over Amor and spent the next ten years rebuilding the kingdom. By the people of Amor, he was known as Lord Frederick. Lord Frederick began to rebuild Amor and after his son, Richard, was born, he settled down outside of Amor into Corona as the kingdom rebuild. All knew Frederick was the true king of Amor, as the king and queen were killed in the war that had destroyed Amor, and no one took over while Amor was recovering. On his way out of Ladron on an annual visit, Frederick's wife had an accident on the stairs and died days later. Frederick grieved her passing, and his heart hardened considerably as he left Ladron that day. Frederick met Ramon Yate, a sorcerer who made potions, shortly after the birth of his son. Ramon convinces Frederick of taking a potion that would allow him to tend to both his son and the kingdom that needed him. Unknown to Frederick, the potion would only harden his heart and make him bitter. Frederick eventually met Wesley Keen and was convinced that Wesley was in debt to him. Frederick believed this himself, not knowing that the potion had made Frederick more susceptible to lies. Frederick met Alistair Thornton, a former knight. Alistair confessed that the war still haunted him and he somehow found pleasure in spilling blood. Over time, Frederick had grown angry with Wesley and asked Alistair to help him get his money back, money Wesley didn't have. Alistair agreed, and the two gathered up former knights with psychological problems similar to Alistairs. They hanged Wesley after he confessed that he didn't have the money, and as a reward, Frederick put Alistair and his members in charge of Ladron until he and Richard moved back. Alistair, with Frederick's approval, called his members the Astaroths, or Stars. Frederick stayed in Corona up until Richard had turned seventeen. Frederick had tried to find love again, and had met Sarah Derna, a young maiden. The age difference upset Frederick, as he was thirty seven and the young maiden was sixteen. Frederick was inwardly disgusted with himself at liking Sarah, and muddled by Ramon's potion, Frederick took his anger out on her when he drank, something he had to do often to temper the guilt he felt while he was around her. On the last night he spent in Sarah's presence, Frederick snapped at something the Sarah had said, and he left her on the road, drunk and furious with self-hate. Frederick moved back to Ladron shortly after Richard had turned seventeen, not knowing that Richard had fallen and begotten a girl, Anna-Beth Keen, with-child. Frederick couldn't care for Richard's feelings as the potion made his son all but invisible. Richard was furious when he came to Ladron, finding that the Stars had gotten the kingdom riled up and angry with him. Ladron was crumbling once more, and to save the kingdom, Frederick began to send every man who created a crime, no matter how small, to the kingdom's prison. The farmers were to work harder and the kingdom struggled to rebuild itself. Frederick began to seek for ways to gain massive amounts of income off of one export, and heard of the mysterious sun flower from Jacob Fernando while Frederick was on a low-key visit to Corona. Jacob had been studying the stars, and told Frederick of the flower, telling him to disregard it as a myth while keeping his eyes open for it. Frederick returned with Alistair, plotting ways to find the mysterious flower. However, Frederick's plan was not kept a secret as Alistair vented his frustrations to members of the Stars. The secret slowly made its way out of the kingdom. Charles Smits heard the secret and fought to burn the plans. He was eventually caught by one of the Stars and sentenced to death. Riley Welks, a friend of Charles and Ladron's florist, had learned of the plans from him. He didn't spread the word of the illicit plans, but Alistair had discovered Riley's knowledge of the plans and ordered an arrest for the florist. Riley was chased out of Ladron, only to return, unknown to Frederick, to take the maiden he loved and her family back to Corona with him, in hopes of letting Corona know of the treachery. The kingdom only grew more disruptive in Frederick's brief absence and countless men were put to death. Meanwhile for the commoners, an arsonist was running around Ladron, setting precious assets aflame. Frederick learned that Rosemary Fennel lost her garden to an arsonist. The person was later caught and hanged and Rosemary was given compensation for her lose. Frederick signed an alliance with Corona and urged Richard to search for a wife to produce an heir for the throne. Richard, missing Anna-Beth, called a gathering for all the women in Ladron aged seventeen to twenty three. Luna Cross, a waitress at The Pretty Goose tells Rosemary to bring her younger sister, Caroline Fennel. Richard then meets Caroline, and much to Frederick's delight, he proposes to Caroline who cannot refuse. Frederick attends the wedding of his son. . .